The Royal Flush Gang

Gallery

Official Team Name

The Royal Flush Gang

Team Aliases

Unknown

Status

Active

Identity

Secret

Universe

Earth-One, New Earth

Base of Operations

Las Vegas, Atlantic City, most major cities in the United States.

Affiliations

Current Members

King of Spades, Queen of Spades, Jack of Spades, Ten of Spades, Ace Android

Former Members

Amos Fortune, Hector Hammond, King of Clubs, Queen of Clubs, Hi-Jack, Ten of Clubs, Ten of Spades, Jack of Spades

Enemies

Justice League of America

Creators

Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky

First appearance

Justice League of America #43
(March, 1966)

The Royal Flush Gang is no longer just a costumed cadre of common criminals. With branches in every major city in the country, they've become a national menace.

-- Vixen

History

The Royal Flush Gang is a crime syndicate, though its origins were much smaller. Originally, it was a gang set up by Amos Fortune, dressed as the cards of a Royal Flush: Ace of Clubs, King of Clubs, Queen of Clubs, Jack of Clubs and Ten of Clubs. They committed petty theft of valuables or technology, or hired out their skills to serve as thieves-for-hire.

Amos Fortune came up with the idea, and used stellaration technology to aid them. They were stopped by the Justice League of America on multiple occasions.

A second gang was set up by Hector Hammond, and came closer than the original gang to defeating the Justice League. After their original Ace, an Android, was destroyed, Fortune took over the gang and killed all members of the first gang except for the Jack of Clubs.

In recent years, the Gang has expanded. Though the lower pip values had been in use for some time, Amos Fortune introduced the suits of Hearts and Diamonds, and transformed the gang into a crime syndicate rivaling Intergang. The face cards would still be the most senior, with the role of Ace usually (but not always) as muscle, either android or human. The Ten controls the minor members, or pips. These henchmen could gain or lose "pips" dependent on their performance; rivalry amongst them was not uncommon.

Paraphernalia

Equipment:

• Ace Android
• Ace Exoskeleton: To complement his already big strength, Ernest Clay used an exoskeleton. Apart from enhanced strength, it also had a large gamma blaster at the chest.
• Insulated Suits: Wanda Wayland's suit was able to shield her from the vacuum of space; a special membrane over her face mask allowed her to breathe.
• Sceptre Royale: Mona Taylor bore a scepter that could alter her appearance into any other woman.
• Stellaration: An odd-changing mechanism developed by Amos Fortune. Only used when he was part of the gang.

Transportation:

• Card Scooter: Flying playing cards developed by the first Ace of Spades.

Weapons:

• Crossbows: Ten's Little Indians were armed with crossbows.
• Cybernetic eye: The third Jack of Spades was the first to give up one eye (albeing involuntarily). Several subsequent Jacks have had either one or two eyes replaced with a laser.
• Firearms: Members have used a variety of standard firearms.
• Lance: One of the new weapons of the first Ace of Spades, this lance could shoot acid-tipped spades.
• Lasers: Several members have had wrist-mounted laser guns.
• Playing cards: Either normal playing cards or modified ones, used as throwing weapons.
• Spades: The Gambler gave Mona Taylor a wrist-mounted launcher that could shoot spade-shaped blades.
• Staff: Several members have used a variety of laser and ray-shooting staffs and scepters.
• Swords: Several members have used swords, both ordinary and laster shooting.

Notes

• Pre-Crisis, the reason for the dress-up as playing cards was that they needed to do so to make the stellaration work.^[1] Post-Crisis, Amos Fortune was a card shark, and he came up because his friends had names starting with the letters of the Royal Flush: Kerry (King), "Queenie" (Queen), Jack (Jack) and Tom (Ten).^[2]
• The Royal Flush Gang was not the first team that styled themselves after playing cards; the Ace, King, Queen and Jack of Crime of Earth-S predated them by 20 years.
  

Trivia

• No trivia.

See Also

• 72 Appearances of Royal Flush Gang
• 11 Images that include Royal Flush Gang
• Team Gallery: Royal Flush Gang
• Fan-Art Gallery: Royal Flush Gang

Links and References

• Discuss Royal Flush Gang on the forums
• Royal Flush Gang at Wikipedia.org
  

Footnotes

Justice League Villain This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains."